No rescue mission in the works just yet

Don’t expect Andrea Bargnani to come riding to the Raptors rescue just yet.

While the team’s leading scorer appears to be getting around these days without much problem, getting around and running up and down a court and landing on that strained left calf is still something he hasn’t tried.

Bargnani is travelling with the team, a change from last season when the injured players stayed behind while the team went on the road.

Asked after the loss in Washington how he was progressing, Bargnani said the calf is getting better but cautioned he has not run on it yet.

He is staying busy in the weight room but joining workouts is still days away.

While he doesn’t enjoy watching his teammates and not being able to help out, he said he would much prefer to be with them and part of the team than back in Toronto working out by himself.

The Raptors are just 2-11 in the 13 games he has missed. The team lost all six games before Bargnani returned following his first six-game absence. They won the next two with him in the lineup and are 2-5 since he re-injured his leg in that win over Utah two weeks ago.

During his first absence the Raptors averaged just 81 points a night. In the seven games since he went out the second time, Toronto is averaging 88.4 points a night.

The biggest contributors to the difference are Jerryd Bayless and Linas Kleiza. Bayless, who has made five starts in the past seven games is averaging 16.1 points a game over those seven games.

Kleiza, who has started just one game in the past seven, has been a boost with the second unit averaging 11.3 points a night.

Everything Flipper

Toronto's Andrea Bargnani has begun pool workouts to rehabilitate his injured calf muscle. ``His new nickname is Flipper,'' Casey joked before the game. Bargnani will increase his workload over the next week, but Casey said the team was taking a cautious approach to his return. Bargnani sat for the 15th time in 17 games Sunday

Coach Dwane Casey said he couldn’t be sure when the 7-foot Bargnani would return; he’s still out “indefinitely” according to the team. Bargnani, who leads the club in scoring at 23.5 points per game, hasn’t played since Jan. 25 in Utah and also missed seven games earlier with the same affliction. He’s only played 13 games this season.

Since he’s done no on-court work — he’s doing low-impact rehab in a swimming pool with little work even in the weight room — it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to join the team for back-to-back road games at Houston and New Orleans right after the break.

While his absence has been felt considerably — he attracts more attention from defences than any other Raptor and that creates space to operate for his teammates — Toronto has to get used to playing without him.

“Bargnani is obviously a big guy we’re missing but we don’t need him to win games,” forward James Johnson said after practice Monday. “I think when he comes back he always gives up a boost of confidence but if we can find that without him, we’ll be rolling.”

UPDATE: Bargnani will travel with team to Houston and New Orleans, could play

DeRozan averaged 20.4 points in his last seven games before the break, but he might not have to shoulder as much of the load starting Tuesday. Leading scorer Andrea Bargnani (23.5 points per game), who has missed the last 14 games with a calf injury, is traveling on the team's two-night trip to Houston and New Orleans and could play.